


Sometime Company

by drvology



Category: Batman (Unspecified canon), Batman: The Animated Series
Genre: Gen, POV Original Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-11
Updated: 2011-04-11
Packaged: 2017-10-17 20:39:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,334
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/180966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drvology/pseuds/drvology
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He was red and green and yellow and he could fly. He smiled nice and laughed and had a friend who was only a big shadow.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sometime Company

**Author's Note:**

> B:TAS is my favorite Batverse incarnation; it's become my default setting when imagining the characters &c. That established, I think the fic I write can be aptly labeled 'canon & time nonspecific.'  
> → Written in an hour for 60_minute_fics challenge group @ LJ || 080307 Prompt _Imaginary Friend -- One of your characters has one, write about how it is for him/her having an such a friend, what kind of funny/weird/embarrassing situations he/she might be in or how it is when others find out._

"He was pretty, Momma."

Shelly laughed and tilted her head so she could watch the road ahead of them and her daughter's reflection in the rearview mirror. She licked the last of the peach-flavored gloss Evie insisted on was bestest ever from her lips and quirked a grin. "Who was, sweetheart?"

Evie crossed her arms and her chin jutted forward proudly. Just like her father, Shelly thought wryly.

"My Birdman!" Evie knocked her elbows out and flapped them. "He was red and green and yellow and he could fly. He smiled nice and laughed and had a friend who was only a big shadow. And he was very, very pretty." Evie's tone ran from excited to giggly to serious as she spoke, small face earnest in remembrance and recounting.

Shelly nodded and hmmm'd appropriately. A car was merging onto the freeway, and the bastard in the beige minivan in the lane next to her wouldn't budge. She bit back a nasty comment and floored the gas instead, gave the sleek silver whatever trying to enter traffic room to maneuver.

"He said I was brave." Evie grinned and bounced in her booster seat.

They'd both be glad when she outgrew that and could finally sit in the car like a big girl. Shelly scanned the familiar road signs, couldn't help but tick off the miles to their exit. "Who said you were brave?"

"Mom!" Evie heaved a sigh. "My Birdman, who we're talking about?" Her voice got sharp, perfect emulation of Shelly when there was trouble in the house. "Are you even listening to me?"

Shelly hid a grin. "Of course. _I_ wanted to know if it was your Birdman or his Shadow that told you that." Untrue--she'd more or less tuned Evie out, already, asked out of habit--but it was a good cover.

She supposed it wasn't all that bad a thing for Evie to be dreaming up friends, especially not ones who told her she was brave and made her so clearly happy. Six wasn't too old for that; hell, Shelly'd had imaginary boyfriends into her teens that would take her on perfect dates and listen to everything she said then kiss cool and easy and exactly as she wanted, like a soft pillow shrouded in a fake-satin case.

No points for mentioning that was because they were.

"When do you see your Birdman?" she asked, taking a different approach.

Evie shrugged. "Only once. Night it was raining, when you got Daddy from the train station with the car then you came back for me. I was standing under the awning. Mr Lloyd had to go inside for something and he told me to stay in the lobby but I wanted to see the lightning so I went out."

Shelly decided not to issue a reprimand at this revelation. Evie was okay, with her, and they'd go over the be-safe rules again, then again, then again in their future. She knew too that Lloyd wouldn't have been irresponsible--their doorman was terribly fond of Evie, as Evie was of him--so she swallowed and calmed her breath and made a _go on_ noise.

Evie took the hint. "Well Mr Birdman came out of nowhere then! Dropped right down from the sky. He wasn't even wet and it was raining so hard. I asked if he was afraid and he said no, the rain felt great." She smiled, and it faded to a frown as she spoke. "He and the big one stayed with me until Daddy stopped the car and you ran over with the umbrella. I tried to tell you they were there, but when we were in the car and I looked for them they were gone."

"Maybe he had somewhere else to be, honey." Shelly easily recognized that disappointment. Honest, outright, not the kind that prompted stamping feet and wants of candy or a toy in the aisle that wouldn't be gotten _today_. She wished for a moment that she could have seen Evie's Birdman and that Shadow, too.

They drove the rest of the way to their condo in easy silence, Evie whispering sing-songs and kicking her feet while Shelly negotiated traffic and one-way street snarls. Lloyd met them out front, tipped his hat and winked at Evie while he unbuckled her from the booster seat. Shelly left the keys and the car running; when she had Evie with her and Kevin wasn't around she let the valet handle getting their car parked.

"Thanks, Mr Lloyd!" Evie yelled, quick hug around his legs before careening inside and through the lobby to their elevator bank.

Shelly rolled her eyes and smiled, indulgent and affectionately amused. "Thanks," she laughed. "Have a good night, Lloyd."

He held the door for her. "Sure will, Ms Henderson. Supposed to be a nice one--humidity's going to finally break."

She believed him; Lloyd usually knew the weather, spot on. For good reason. She tapped his shoulder as she passed and whispered conspiratorially, "Don't let Evie's Birdman or his big Shadow Guy get you."

Lloyd laughed. "Is that what she called them?" His chuckles rolled down into his chest.

"Call who?" Shelly came to a standstill. Evie was leaning past the wall to find her, impatient skips and shuffles

Lloyd looked at her with a knowing grin. "Batman and Robin," he said, serene on the surface and delighted, teasing, underneath.

Shelly blinked, glanced to where Evie had started hopping on one foot in a circle, babbling at Gregg who manned the desk for the night shift. She met Lloyd's gaze again and mouthed, "Oh."

He handed up her purse that had slipped. "We're on their patrol route. Friday nights particularly--I expect Evie saw them last week when she couldn't stand not to be in the rain another moment and darted outside," his eyes darted over to Evie, then back to Shelly, "exactly as I warned her not to do."

Like the weather, this was something Shelly took whole-stock of Lloyd for knowing. Instead of trying to contradict or laugh it off she nodded, told Lloyd to be safe tonight and see him tomorrow--and thank you, again--walked to gather Evie's shoulder under her hand.

She hugged Evie into her as they rode all the way up to the 24th floor, hummed along with what Evie had been murmuring for days now, knew the tune without quite being able to place the song. Once inside, doors locked, she leaned down and Evie popped up; they kissed, grinned, then Evie tore away to get her chores done quick so she could have lots of playtime before Daddy got home for dinner.

Shelly went to their picture window in the living room and tossed the curtains back. She stood and watched Gotham and the golden sunset that softened her, searched for Evie's Birdman and his Shadow, moved only after Kevin's arms came around her and he quietly asked what was out there she was so intent upon.

She leaned back into him. "Evie's friends," she said, breezy and motherly and on the inside track.

Kevin rested his chin on her shoulder. "Anyone I need to be concerned about?"

Shelly laughed. "It's a crush, totally harmless. Just a dashing young man that of course caught her fancy who dropped in then out again, quick as that. I don't think he'll be a worry. From what I could tell he had Evie's best interests in mind." She giggled. "Besides, he's spoken for."

"Oh? So Evie likes a boy, who already has a--?"

"Really Big Shadow."

Shelly pried from Kevin's hold and grinned, didn't look back as he balked and chased after her, sped to Evie's room just ahead of his reach. _Come and find out!_ she shouted, laughed, called for Evie to rescue her. She wanted to perch on Evie's bedside and make up stories about the flying men that could turn into cool, perfect pillowcase kisses for her daughter come years--not enough years--from now.


End file.
